Moonlight on The Snow
By: L4zyL4dy
Chapter#1- One Christmas Night
"Welcome to the Daikoku Yakiniku, sir! A table for one?" greets a brunette waitress beside the door.
Itachi nodded a little and that girl led him to a table on the corner of this restaurant. He sat himself down and took the menu the girl's offering him. It was the usual yakiniku restaurant menu, and he closed and threw it on the table without reading it.
"I will just take the special," Itachi said shortly. The girl took the menu away and walked toward the kitchen to pass Itachi's order to the chef.
He eyed his surroundings and found that his table is so cornered, that no costumer in that restaurant would see him if they don't walked across the wall and turn left, where his table is located. There was only one man on the table beside him, and the man is completely drunk, the smells of alcohol are all over him. He smirked, deciding that he like his position now.
It was also the strategic position for Itachi, because he can watch the street through the acrylic window in front of him, without being watched at the same time. This restaurant put on film window, he saw that when he was outside. He couldn't see a thing inside the restaurant. And there was a moment when he concludes that the restaurant is empty and has closed. But the next moment, he heard a small conversation through the window he was staring. That's when he realized the window must be a film window. Actually, that was one of the reasons why he chose to eat at this restaurant. It is quiet, and no one would bother to pay attention to him, which lessen the risk that someone will recognize him from the flyer that has been spread across the town that says he is a 'wanted criminal'.
Itachi has just arrived at this town this morning. It's a normal town located somewhere in foreign country, with no knowledge of ninja or whatsoever. But somehow Konoha has made relation with this town's governor, and Itachi must spent the entire afternoon hiding and avoiding public places, where there's a lot posters and billboards with his face on, with a criminal sign on it. The Hokage now are cleverer than before, Itachi admitted.
The dark-haired man rearranged his sitting position to a more relaxing one. His gaze fell to the shimmering light and the falling snow out in the street. People, from happy family to some teenagers hanging out with friends and intimate couple were walking and chattering outside. Mothers holding hands with their children, and fathers carrying their baby on their broad shoulders. Gangs of friends talking and laughing happily. Boyfriends are willing to give their coats to their trembling girlfriends, and blushed when their cheek received a kiss as gratitude from their lovers.
Uchiha Itachi sighed seeing the view before him. All the people in the world seemed to have all the things he lost in his life. Friends, lover, and especially, family. Even though his brother is still alive, he has lost him as well. It was that entire bastard Orochimaru's doing.
No need to say, he know though, inside his heart, that it was a part of his fault. If only he didn't lie to his brother. If only he didn't tell Sasuke to be stronger. Sasuke probably wouldn't go to Orochimaru to seek for power. If only he took Sasuke and live together with him where he could protect him, instead of joining the Akatsuki. He could continue this 'if only…' thing and keep going on for hours.
The waitress's tapping footstep sound echoed through the hall where Itachi's table are. And the head of the brunette waitress from before, appeared on the intersection of the wall. She's carrying a dozen of plates with different kinds of meats on it. Itachi showed no sign of recognizing her presence at all when she put the plates on his table.
After she left, Itachi divided a pair of chopsticks and started to grill his meal on the grill tray. He rolled his eyes to the drunken man's directions. The brunette waitress was trying to wake him up.
"Sir, sir? You can't sleep here," she said, shaking the man's shoulder gently.
"Ahahaha, leave me alone! You're annoying just like my wife!" replied the drunken man, slapping her hands away. The girl looked scared, but she shook the man's shoulder again, rather hesitantly, keeping him awake.
"I'm sorry, but you really can't sleep here. Should I call your wife?" offered the girl.
"Noooo…! Why don't you accompany me, eh? You're kinda beautiful…ehehehe…," said the man in perverted tone. He grabs the girl forcefully and the girl ended up sitting on his lap. And then with disgusting looks on his face, his hands started to crawl up to the girl's chest.
"Sir! No! Let me go!" shrieked the girl, trying to send the man's hands away from her body. It was no use, since the man's body is large and she's just a slim teenage girl.
Itachi stood up from his seat and grab the trembling waitress from the man. The man threw an angry glare to Itachi and stood up also. He was a fat, middle aged man, whose head doesn't even reach Itachi's chin at all.
"Hey, little brat. What's your problem!" yelled the man, sending the bad smell of alcohol to Itachi's face when he opened his moustache-covered mouth. That wasn't right, because Itachi shouldn't be a little brat from that man's point of view. Let's just say it's because of the alcohol.
What happened the next moment was happening so suddenly. First, Itachi grabbed the man on his collar. Second, the restaurant's window made a crashing sound and shattered to pieces. Third, the man cursed some really bad words to Itachi from the sidewalks then ran away, covered in blood.
The waitress gaped in shock at the hole on the window in front of her and then looked at Itachi. The scene attracted many attentions from both people in the street and in the restaurant. Heads are popping, lips are whispering, and eyes are looking. Seconds later, a thin man that looked like the manager of the restaurant came running to the scene, looking horrified.
"Oh my God! What happened here!" the man yelled to the waitress beside Itachi. The said girl just winced and walked to the manager's face and started to apologize. Itachi has some weird feeling that the waitress is trying to hide Itachi from her manager. Itachi knew though, that it was useless, even if the manager won't recognize him, the people in the street will.
His theory was proved right, when people started talking behind their hand while pointing their finger at him and some of them widen their eyes in realization, and then ran away screaming.
"That man is the criminal, Uchiha Itachi!" shrieked a woman from the restaurant. Everyone else in that restaurant stand up from their table hastily, screaming hysterically, which resulted some of the plates and glasses fell down and the atmosphere of panic spreading inside and outside the restaurant.
The manager grabbed the waitress and placed her behind him, trying to protect her from Itachi.
"S-Stand aside, you!" the manager points his menu at Itachi, like a sword. His gaze fell to Itachi's hand that is hiding in his cloak, expecting to see a gun come out from there,"T-The police are coming!" he managed to say a lie.
The dark-haired Uchiha just stands still there. After eyed his surroundings, which include people running and screaming, he decided to leave that place immediately, before someone called the 'police' or something and put him in trouble. He jumped out through the window that he just broke, and was getting ready to jump up to the roof, when he heard his name being called by someone. It was not the police, and not sounding like a scared voice, in fact, Itachi recognized it as the waitress' voice.
"Itachi-san!"
The said person stopped and turned his head, at the voice's direction. The brunette girl has let herself go from the manager's protection and was running toward him. She stopped in front of Itachi and looked up to face him. Itachi has to look down to stare at her face, which only as tall as his shoulder.
"Ano, thank you, for helping me just now," she said with a confident smile.
"…You're welcome…," replied him from behind his high collar, without looking at the girl's eyes. He jumped to the roof, and then ran away from roof to roof 'till darkness swallows him fully. The waitress stared at his directions in awe.
"Ayame, are you out of your mind! What are you doing, running to that criminal like that? Are you hurt somewhere?" said the manager in one breath, from behind. Ayame turned her head, to see her manager running toward her, with worried looks on his aged-face. She smiled reassuringly and let out a small 'no'.
"What did he said to you just now, then? Did he threaten you?" asked the manager again while scanning her body to check on any injuries.
"…He said 'You're welcome'," said Ayame blankly.
"Huh?" the manager raised an eyebrow.
The police's sirens could be heard echoing from far away. There are nobody left on that street, except some people from the neighborhood that is clueless about what just happened.
"Ah, we got to do some serious explanation to the boss tomorrow," the thin old man in manager suit said, "Let's go inside Ayame. It's freezing here," he guided Ayame to walk inside the restaurant again.
Ayame followed his manager, while hiding her tiny little smile from him.
The white snows continue pouring from the dark sky, decorating the beginning of this story.
XX
Please review? Hehe...I rarely ask people to review, but I need some constructive review here, on this one…Or just some comment or-or anything!